Kansas City youth put on play to raise awareness of HIV/AIDS

A group of young people wrote, produced and starred in their own musical with the goal to stop the spread of HIV and AIDS.

KSHB

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KANSAS CITY, Mo. - A group of students calling themselves HYPE (Helping Youth Achieve Excellence) are committed to stopping the spread of HIV/AIDS. The group is sponsored by Calvary Community Outreach Network. Students performed their drama Tuesday at the Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts in Kansas City, Mo.

The play is called, The Lot. It was written, produced, and performed by HYPE students. It's about a teenage girl who begins abusing and selling drug; her younger brother accidentally overdoses and dies.

Stephanie Henderson plays the drug abusing sister.

"I think the play works because as young people, we know that other youth do not want to be lectured to and so we knew how to present something that our peers will listen to,” Henderson said.

Jamar Rogers, a semi-finalist on season two of The Voice, was in the final act of the play. Rogers told the audience that he began abusing drugs at a young age. He also ran away from home twice and stayed gone when he left at age 17.

"I was searching for my identity and I was searching for love," Rogers said. "What I want young people to know is that they are worthy of love and I hope they do not make the same mistakes I did."